You’ve inherited land or a parent or spouse who owned land has passed away, leaving you with an unwanted property. What do you do now?
As someone who’s been working with accidental property owners for several years now, just know this is a very common occurrence. And while I’m not an attorney, there’s two initial questions you should answer:
First, was the property owned in a trust or in joint tenancy with another owner? If so, the process of transferring ownership at minimum only requires the possession of a death certificate. You’ll also avoid having to go through the costly and time-consuming probate process.
Second, if not, did the deceased owner at least have a will? You’ll still need to go through probate unfortunately, but having a will can clarify who will attain ownership after the probate process is completed.
Even if there isn’t a will, that’s ok, it just might be a more complicated probate as a result.
Whether there’s a will or not, there are additional questions to be asked about property ownership and your family tree to determine if more than one probate is required.
This can seem like a lot, but it’s a path many have trod before you. If you have questions, you’re more than welcome to reach out to me and my team, who has a lot of experience here.
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